Lock for fore-end of gun-stocks.



PATENTED JUNE 5 1Q06.

3. E. ELEER. LOCK FOR FQRE EIIBS 8P GUN STOCKS.

APPLIOATEOEI FILED JIHTE 19, 1905.

UNITED srA as PATENT orrron.

EDWARD H. ELDER, OF OHIOOPEE FALLS, MASSAOHUSETS, ASSIGNOR TO J. STEVENSARMS & TOOL COMPANY, OF GHICOPEE FALLS, MASSA- CHUSETTS, A CORPORATION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 5, 1906.

Application filed June 19, 1905. Serial No. 265.960.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD H. ELDER, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Chico ee Falls, in the county of Hampden and tateof Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Im rovements in Looks forthe Fore-Ends of un-Stocks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to firearms, and particularly to means to securethe fore-end of the stock to the barrel in such manner that it will notwork loose at the hinge when the barrels are of the breakdown type, itbeing to this type that the invention is more particularly applicable;and the invention consists in the construction of a lockin device whichwill not only lock the fore-en tightly against the under side of thebarrel or barrels, but at the same time yieldingly press the same towardthe end of the frame in contact with which it swings when the barrelsare tipped down, all as fully described in the following specificationand ointed out in the claim appended thereto, t e invention being fullyillustrated in the accompanying draw in s, in which-- igure 1 is alongitudinal sectional elevation of a portion of a gun-barrel and of aforeend secured thereto by the locking device in which the invention hasbeen embodied. Fig. 2is a bottom plan view of the same, showing thelocking device in locked position. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of astud attached to the barrel and with which the locking-lever engages.Fig. 4 is a cross-section on line 4 4, Fig. 1, looking to the left.

In carrying out this invention a stud a is afiixed to the under side ofthe barrel or barrels b in an suitable way but preferably the stud is mae, as shown in Fi 3, with a base 0, having beveled parallel e ges,adapted to be driven into a dovetail cut extending transversely of theunder side of the barrel, as shown in Fig. 1, the stud being providedwith a head at, or its equivalent, with which the hooked end 6 of alocking-lever f may engage, which lever is pivotally supported in thefore-end b, as at g.

To properl su port the device in the foreend, a plate is et into thelatter flush with that surface thereof lying against the barrel, an oening 3' being formed therein through whic the stud a may extenddownwardly,

and in which opening the hooked and e of the lever f may have room toswing into and out of engagement with the stud. Let into the under sideof the fore-end is another plate 7:, which is longitudinally slotted toreceive the lever f, there being an opening .m through this platethrough which the hooked end of the lever extends to permit itsengagement with the stud a when the fore-end is applied to the barrel.The two plates are secured in their respective ositions by screws 0.

That part of t e lever f comprising the part through which the pin 9passes, and the hooked end 6 is preferably made rigid, and the long armof the lever f specifically indicated by is made thin enough to sprinand the bee ed end .2 is so proportioned t at when the end p is swungupward to efiect the en gagement thereof with the stud a, said hookedend will come into contact with the shank and with the head of the studbefore the long arm p has swung up to a position flush with thefore-end. Therefore the continued movement of this long arm to bring itflush with the fore-end will flex it more or less, thusa pl 'ng a ieldinressure against both the she and head 0 t e stud, where by the fore-endwill be yieldingly pressed rearwardly toward the end of t e frame as andupwardly a ainst the under side of the barrel, a suitab espring-actuated button r being located in the plate It to one over theend of thelong arm 1) of the loc 'n -lever when the latter swings intothe slotte plate k to a position flush with said plate. This button 1comprises a shank portion which plays in a longitudinally-dis osed slots in the plate 1: and has one hea preferably integral therewith to slideon the outer surface of the plate and a second head riveted to the innerend of the shank, as shown in Fig. 1, a spring 2 servin to ress thebutton toward t e forward on of t e slot, as shown, where by it may bepushed back by the end of the lever f when the latter is swung againstits edge and then snap over said end'to hold it as described. Any otherfastening device for the end of the lever f may be substituted for theparticular one described herein.

Secured in any suitable way to the top of the plate 7c is a spring is,which extends part1 across the opening m and under a shou der on theback side of the hooked end e of the lever f to limit the movement ofsaid hooked end away from the stud a, to the end that if the fore-end beapplied to the barrel and pressed against it the hooked end e will snaponto the stud, and the long arm 29 of the lever may then be swung up toposition to secure the fore-end tightly in place.

The butt-end of the fore-end is provided, as usual, with a shoe v,socketed to fit the rounded end of the frame w, to which on the pin a;the barrel is pivoted in the manner commonly emplo ed in breakdown guns.

By means of t e herein-described invention the fore-end is alwa syieldin ly pressed against the end of the rame, an therefore any Wear ofthe contacting surfaces of the shoe '0 and the end of the frame w willbe taken up and the foreend therefore never work loose.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is-

The combination with the frame and barrel of a gun, of a detachablefore-end, a lever pivotally supported therein, a stud fixed to thebarrel, and means on the lever to engage the stud between the latter andthe frame to secure the fore-end to the barrel, said lever having aspring-arm, the flexure of which will exert a yielding pressure on thefore-end toward the barrel and endwise toward the frame, anendwise-movable button on the fore-end for holding the spring-arm in anelevated position.

EDWARD H. ELDER.

Witnesses:

K. I. CLEMoNs, H. A. CHAPIN.

